Get to Know BJ, New Member of the CUDO Plays Committee

If you haven’t checked out last week’s blog post, we got to know Rebecca, new CUDO Plays Committee member. This week I’m chatting with BJ Gailey, the other equally bright-eyed and idealistic new member of the Committee. At least, they will be bright eyed and idealistic until the CUDO Plays Ritual Hazing commences (nobody tell Rebecca and BJ about this, it’s a surprise).

Tom: How did you first find out about/become involved with CUDO Plays?
BJ: I remember seeing the poster for the Season 2 Grand Exhibition and being so mad! “How did I miss this?” I yelled at the poster. The poster had no answers. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be until Season 4 that I actually had time to enter the competition.

What made you want to join the CUDO Plays Committee?
I love the encouraging, inspirational message of Cudo- “build the game you want to play” is a fantastic mantra for a designer, and I wanted to help pass that on. Plus, it’s just a swell group of passionate, intelligent, fun people.

What do you hope to bring to the committee and/or the competition?
I hope I can bring my enthusiasm, my minivan, and my relatively small experience with design, publication, Kickstarter, and the convention scene.

What’s your history with tabletop gaming?
I was raised on classic card games and cut my gaming teeth on CCGs (Magic came out when I was a sophomore in high school), but the first “gamer” game I played was Robo Rally, senior year of college. I’ve been hooked since then.

What are some of the games you like the best and why?
– Ghost Stories — I’m a huge fan of cooperative games, and for me Ghost Stories is the pinnacle of old school coop design.
– Tales of the Arabian Nights — As a game, it’s pretty poor. But as a storytelling experience, it’s so much fun.
– War of the Ring — I’m always fascinated by asymmetrical games, and I love games that can link theme and mechanics seamlessly. War of the Ring is the best-in-show of both categories.

What do you hope to see in Season 5 of CUDO Plays?
I hope to see underutilized mechanics (real time elements, dexterity, etc.) and new spins on classic ideas, but mostly I want to see people who are passionate about the games they make.

What is one interesting fact about yourself?
I had a job once testing tubes of flea and tick medicine for a major pharmaceutical company. Ten hours a day of putting a single tube at a time into a vise and squeezing- if the tube exploded, it got rejected. It sounds awful but I loved it.

Who is the author you were forced to read for school that you like the least and why?
Charles Dickens. I know I SHOULD like him, but I find his style sort of bland.

Favorite pie flavor?
Key lime or cherry.

What movie do you never get tired of watching?
Honestly, 2001. It sounds like something a film student would say (and I definitely was a film student) but that movie fills me with awe every time.

Please provide one terrible joke, pun, gag, meme, animated gif, or one-liner that is near and dear to your heart.
This, also, fills me with awe every time… pizzawe.

Tom Note: I really like how this dog basically mirrors BJ’s stance in the first image.

Well, that’s it for new members, but maybe someday soon I’ll have similarly hard-hitting interviews with every member of the CUDO Plays Committee. Stay tuned for that!